Human Rights
Movements and Human Rights Defenders: Challenges and Prospects
9 – 10 August 2012
Jointly
organized by Vigil India Movement and Ecumenical Christian Centre
A national level seminar on
“Human Rights Movements and Human Rights Defenders: Challenges and Prospects”
was organized in conjunction with M.A. Thomas National Human Rights Award 2012
from 9 to 10 August 2012 at the Ecumenical Christian Centre. This seminar highlighted the Challenges and
Prospects of Human Rights Movement and Human Rights Defenders in India Today
and critically analyzed several issues of ongoing struggle at different parts
of the country such as Anti-nuclear
power project, Anti-Posco project, Srikakulam Thermal plant, Chaliyar river
pollution, air pollution, environmental rights, indigenous people’s rights and
Land rights etc.
There were about 25
participants from different background attended in the seminar and shared their
experience working at different level to promote human rights culture.
Dr. Cherian Thomas, Director ECC and Secretary Board
of Trustees, Vigil India Movement, welcomed the participants and introduced the
core value of the seminar.
Mr. B.R.P Bhaskar, a senior
Journalist and Human Rights Defender delivered the thematic address “Human
Rights movements and Human rights Defenders- Challenges and Prospects in India
today” In his address Mr. Bhaskar quoted Jawaharlal’s statement as to India
having as many as 70 million problems which it faced based on those days
population. Currently we have 1 billion problems to solve. The tribal problems
of anti-posco movement at Orissa were narrated where the South Korean Steel
project which if completed would be the biggest steel project in the world.
This has created a land mobilisation problem for the tribal’s who are to be
moved out of their habitat and given accommodation away from their source of
livelihood. If the project is completed, it would be the biggest foreign direct
investment in India with about 120 billion USD. The parliament of India has
approved of this project and the FDI. This tribal agitation is being helped by
the Maoist and the naxals.
The case of Binayak Sen was
given an insight into where international intervention was brought in, which
turned the scenario in the Indian judiciary and he was granted a bail. Soni
Sori’s case of rape victim suffering under the hands of Police and the naxals
was brought into the lime light how the innocent victims were being targeted and
tortured by both the Police Force and the Naxal militants.
He spoke on the supremacy of
the civilians. The disregard of the constitution of India by the
parliamentarians was brought in when he spoke of the Schedule - 9 of the
constitution.
Mr. Syed Musab, a Research
Scholar, who has travelled frequently to the Anti-POSCO and Anti-Koodankulam as
part of his research studies, elaborated the consistence of Peoples Movements
and Peoples Struggles in India. The
struggle against POSCO in Odisha and another against nuclear power plant in
Koodankulam are two different kind of People’s resistance. While one is against
land, displacement and overall neo liberal economic policy, the other is more
ideological fight against nuclear energy but in both these struggle the running
theme is the question of democracy.
In both the places one in upper
part of India and another in lower part of this great nation the struggle has
faced massive repression from the state. Those fighting against government
policies and actions are slammed with numerous cases. Their protest is slammed
as seditious and their actions are considered as ‘waging war against state’.
This in turn has created a human crisis. People in POSCO project villages are
suffering since seven years although the movement has never surrendered itself.
The people in these villages facing charges are unable to go outside see
doctors, women inside the villages have gynecological issues but they are not
getting the right treatment.
But both these resistance
movement have shown great strength although in Koodankulam things are not very
optimistic but in their phase of struggle strong culture of resistance is well
exhibited. The women of both these affected areas have played phenomenal role
to keep the struggle alive.
There is certainly a great gap
in communication as well, communication not in the sense that state is unable
to hear them but in terms that the language and semiotic production of these
movements are yet not significant enough to bring ‘new’ political imagination.
Over 15000 people in Koodankulam areas surrendered their voter id card – which
in itself is very remarkable but yet it was not significant enough to take the
issue seriously, on the contrary the state slammed almost all the villagers
with charges of sedition. This is not just limited to these two places but
across the globe people are trying to find new language, new semantics to
express their political imagination, the world they really want to live in.
Right to Water: Plachimada
Experience of struggle against coco-cola was presented by Mr. Ajayan a
frontline activist from Kerala. The land water at Plachimada was polluted
because of the extensive sucking of water by Coco-cola. The people’s movement
has brought about the closure of Coco-cola plant there. However, the compensation due to the people
is yet to come. The Plachimada Coco-cola Victims Relief and Compensation claims
Special Tribunal Bill 2011 was unanimously passed by the Kerala Legislative
Assembly. But the bill was sent to the President of India for his ascent or
approval. But the bill was erroneously
sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, for clarification on
some points. The Home Ministry forwarded it to the Kerala Government for their
remarks and opinions, which has already been forwarded to the Home Ministry by
the Kerala Government. But the Bill has not yet been approved by President of
India. Still the struggle continues.
Mr. Ashif Shaikh, Jan Sahas
presented a paper on “Right to Dignity: - Struggle of Manual Scavengers in
Madhya Pradesh”. In common the dalits
are being employed in manual scavenging work in India and they are being
ill-treated. Most of the manual scavengers
get very minimum wage compare to the others.
Jan Sahas through its Garima Abhiyan Programme liberated several of
manual scavengers in Madhya Pradesh. The life is to live with dignity and honour,
and so the women who were given a few clothes, some food and some money for the
Manual Scavenging of human faces have been liberated and empowered to take care
of their life by themselves. More women
are to be liberated in time to come.
Adding to that Dr. Moses Yesudoss briefly explained about the problems
of manual scavenging and its continuous practice despite of several laws and
bills to abolish the practice.
Generally lands are precious to the
people. This is so, as it is one primary piece of evidence that man has lived
on earth. In ancient society most tribes had access to common lands. But in
later day societies, the working people don’t have ownership of lands even to
do minimal agriculture. Nowadays, our lands are going into the hands of big
investors and realtors in a massive way. The government is doing the work of
broker to take away lands from the people and hand it over to corporates
especially MNCs. Singur, Nandigram, Mathur, Sriperumbudur, Hosur are some of the
places where this is evident, as well as the people’s struggle to resist this
trend. Adv. Megala and Adv. Manimegalai from Makkal Mandram, Kanchipuram
explained the ground reality of Land Grabbing in Kanchipuram with few
illustrations.
Mr. Sony George, Programme
Officer, UNICEF took a session on Child Rights Movement in India. Mr. George narrated the rights of the
children with regard to the society in which they live. The provision of Child
Rights Convention to protect the rights of the child is well explained. He also briefed the failure of government
mechanism in promoting the rights of the Children. Children
should be taken care with love and affection and should be educated in a way
that they deserve certain rights to enjoy childhood freedom.
Ms. Ranjini Sambath briefed
about the Women Rights Movement in India and their struggle for socio- economic
empowerment. At the conclusion Dr.
Faizan Mustafa, Vice-chancellor of NALSAR University, Hyderabad explained about
the Human Rights Violation and the Response of Indian Jurisprudence. Dr. Mustafa
narrated how in the case of handling rape cases “Know” “yes” is the ruling. He
also spoke about concern to rape where marks of resistance are not seen on the
violator
He referred to gender bias as
being as obvious from Nargis Mirsa vs. Air India case. The difference from
Kartavya Jurisprudence vs. Rights Jurisprudence was brought clearly. To do one’s duty and not to talk of rights is
Kartavya Jurisprudence as against to deal with the rights of human being which
is Rights Jurisprudence. The Mughal system of humanizing penology was touched
upon by him. How death sentence was not easy to come by in the Mughal system. He
also spoke about the human rights situation in India, how the constitution is
framed for constitutionalism and how discretion is used for creating exemptions
to rules. He elaborated on censorship, privacy and religious followings. He also
stressed uniform civil courts to be discussed at length in the country and
awareness brought in.
The seminar was concluded by ascertaining
to bring collective force to struggle for the rights of the peoples.